1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bending endoscope with detachable insertion portion provided with an insertion portion with a bending portion and a unit with bending means for bending the bending portion, which are detachably coupled.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the endoscope has been widely used. The insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into a body cavity such that the inside of the body cavity is observed. The treatment instrument is inserted into the channel for accommodating the treatment instrument formed in the insertion portion to perform various kinds of therapy and treatment.
Generally, the endoscope having the thin and long insertion portion includes a bending portion provided to the distal end of the insertion portion. The bending portion is structured to rotatably connect a plurality of bending pieces. The bending piece which forms the bending portion is connected to the operation wire. The bending portion is vertically or laterally bent by pulling or loosening the operation wire. The operation wire may be pulled or loosened through rotating operation of the bending knob formed on the operation portion performed by the operator, for example.
Recently, the power driven bending endoscope has been introduced, which is structured to bend the bending portion by pulling and loosening the operation wire using the bending drive means such as the electric motor. In the power driven bending endoscope, the electric motor is operated in accordance with the bending command signal outputted from the bending command means, for example, the joystick formed on the operation portion. The rotation of the electric motor is transmitted to the pulley, for example, so as to be rotated. The bending wire wound around the pulley is pulled or loosened to bend the bending portion.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-105800 discloses the endoscope device which is structured to couple the connector with the connector bearing for guiding the power transmission output portion at the drive side provided at the enclosure of the bending motor controller and the connector at the input side formed in the connector of the endoscope to the predetermined coupled position.
In the aforementioned power driven bending endoscope, the power unit provided outside the operation portion to serve as the bending drive means is detachable with respect to the endoscope, thus reducing the size and weight of the operation portion and improving the operability.
The endoscope device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-114001 includes a guide portion at the first joint portion disposed in the endoscope, and a guided portion at the second joint portion disposed inside the enclosure in the bending controller as the power unit. In the case where the first and the second joint portions are eccentrically connected with respect to the respective center axes, they may be coaxially connected by means of the guide portion and the guided portion.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-234651 discloses the conduit unit attachment/detachment device as the art which relates to the conduit attachment/detachment structure. The conduit unit attachment/detachment device includes a first joint member detachably attached to the operation portion of the endoscope and a second joint member detachably attached to the electromagnetic valve unit. The first joint member is provided with a grooved rotating body and a solenoid with a fixture pin so as to be locked. The second joint member is provided with a pair of cylindrical electrodes and a pin-like electrode for the purpose of disconnecting the supply line of the drive power supply by detecting attachment/detachment state.
The lock state of the first joint member is released only when the second joint member is removed. This makes it sure to lock the conduit unit so as not to be removed during the observation with the endoscope, thus eliminating the disadvantage of interrupting the observation and treatment with the endoscope.